I started this journey by studying photography. I have been drawn to photography for most of my life and I have always loved how it can uniquely memorialize the big moments. Because of this passion, I earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography from The Art Institute of Atlanta, and I have nearly 15 years of experience photographing weddings and families. 

Along the way, I realized another interest of mine is working with families and children. I have worked as a professional nanny for 10 years, which gives me a unique understanding when communicating with kids of many ages. I find this to be so helpful during family photography sessions, as well as when working closely with families in a support role. I have learned so much about how special it is for a family to let you into their home. It has given me the opportunity to connect deeply with so many families.

I was drawn more into the birth world when I realized that the perinatal time is when a family is the most vulnerable and in need of support. I completed my fertility, birth, and postpartum doula training and I felt uniquely drawn to help families in the postpartum period, so that has been my main focus ever since. 

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In my experience, it became clear that a massive struggle for new families is how to get enough sleep with a newborn. I really wanted to be able to provide as much support as possible for this particular experience so I completed the Infant and Family Sleep Specialist certification through Bebo Mia. This course is taught by neuroscientist, Greer Kirshenbaum Ph.D. The families I have supported through sleep struggles have found the information and support to be so valuable, and I am very excited to continue to bring the tools I have learned into my practice of supporting families. 

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When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time at home with my wife and our cat. I also find it nice to get outside and explore everything that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Things I love: iced coffee, jasmine tea, salty snacks, down time, board games, going for walks, rainy days, a good hot tub soak, and spending time with friends, family, and my favorite kids.

Heather became a doula because of her Christian faith. She uses her gifts of encouragement, service, and mercy to support families during birth and the postpartum stage. While Heather is a follower of Jesus, she tries to compassionately support and love folks from all walks of life and faiths.

Heather has not always been a doula. She received a BA in Elementary Education and a BA in Psychology from Queens University of Charlotte. During her time at Queens she spent much of her time supporting philanthropic efforts in the Queen City.

After graduation from college, Heather was immediately employed by the Charlotte Mecklenburg School system as a first grade teacher. She also was active with RAIN, a Charlotte based volunteer group. During her 2nd year of teaching she met her husband, Casey, and they were married in 2003. In 2006 they welcomed their first child, John, and moved to the Triangle to be closer to family. Heather began teaching kindergarten and first grade for Wake County Public Schools. During her tenure with Wake County Schools she became a National Board Certified Teacher. In 2008 Heather and Casey welcomed daughter Gracie. 2011 brought the birth of Will, their youngest child. In 2018, the Clements family welcomed a Turkish exchange student into their home and Ata has been a member of the Clements family ever since!

In 2012 Heather began doula work after completing a spiritual gifts test and upon learning about the work of a doula. She became a certified birth doula and launched Tarheel Birth Services in 2014. Supporting families became a larger and larger part of Heather's life and, in 2016, she chose to step away from the classroom to focus solely on doula work.

Heather met Kelly at a training in early 2016 and immediately knew they had a shared vision. Doulas of Raleigh started as a conversation on a ride home from the training and developed into a fully formed agency in early 2017.

Heather is a ProDoula Certified Labor Doula (original certification with DONA International), a ProDoula Certified Postpartum Placenta Specialist, and a ProDoula Certified Postpartum & Infant Care Doula. She has also completed Spinning Babies training, HypnoBabies training, and is a ProDoula VBAC Specialist. Her extensive training and knowledge base helps her act as a mentor and resource to the entire Doulas of Raleigh team. She sees the potential in each doula on the team and helps create opportunites for education and advancement. Heather makes herself available to all the labor doulas on the team and it isn’t uncommon for a doula to call or text her for advice. Her postition as an agency owner allows her to connect clients to their perfect doula team and facilitates an experience that families cherish.

Along with all the people in her house, Heather has 2 dogs. Douglas is a Bernese Mountain Dog who thinks he is a lap dog but is actually 100 pounds of floof! Nina is a 10 year old German Shepherd/Husky mix who is constantly annoyed by Douglas and his shenanigans. Storm is the Russian Blue cat who really rules the roost, including Smaug, a Bearded Dragon. When she isn’t wrangling pets and teenagers, or hanging out with her husband, Heather can be found reading, drinking sweet tea or coffee, working out at the Y, planning her next international trip, and plotting ways to get to the beach as often as possible.

Her Story